2 high school soccer players ineligible after attending Alabama camp

Two Tuscaloosa County High School soccer players have been declared ineligible and will have to sit out the rest of the season for attending a University of Alabama camp.

By Tommy DeasExecutive Sports Editor

Two Tuscaloosa County High School soccer players have been declared ineligible and will have to sit out the rest of the season for attending a University of Alabama camp.Krystal Barger and Jessica Clark, both 17-year-old juniors, were ruled ineligible last week by the Alabama High School Athletic Association for attending the March 17 Crimson Tide ID Camp held by UA head women’s soccer coach Todd Bramble. AHSAA rules prohibit athletes from participating in camps in their sport during the season. TCHS opened its season in February.It is not known if any other players at other schools have been ruled ineligible. The TCHS players said they did not see any other in-state players at the camp who they know to play high school soccer.The players and their parents said they had not been informed either by their high school coach, Calvin Summers, or by Bramble, the camp’s director, that attending a camp in season was against the rules.“It’s not really our fault,” Clark said, “but we’re being penalized for it.”Bramble said he did not check to see if any campers might lose eligibility. Many high school-age players, he said, choose not to play for their high schools and instead play on club teams.“I’m aware of the rule for sure,” he said. “We had about 60 kids come to this camp. Very few were from the state of Alabama. Obviously, the Alabama kids (who play high school soccer) can’t come because of the rule. I don’t know who’s playing high school and who’s not.“I certainly don’t feel responsible. This is an honest mistake that is mutually shared on three levels — me, the (TCHS) coach and the family. I certainly feel bad that this happened. It was an honest mistake.”Jason Clark, Jessica’s father, said that Bramble had a conversation with the two TCHS players at the camp where they discussed how their season was going, making it clear that it was already under way. The players and their parents said they do not hold Bramble responsible for the situation.“I don’t recall having that conversation,” Bramble said. “I haven’t had any contact with them in a long time. I haven’t had any interaction with them recently.”Bramble said he plans to make changes for future camps held in season.“I guess we can double-check with any kid from Alabama,” he said. “I don’t think it would be too much to ask to check it out. I wouldn’t want anyone to lose out on any playing opportunity. We’re not trying to hurt their high school season. We’re trying to get them to gain college opportunities.”Bramble and assistant coach Tatum Clowney provided information to TCHS to assist with an appeal, which was denied.The players and their parents said their high school coach, who was not aware beforehand that they were attending the camp, never warned the team about the rule.“He never said anything about doing something that would make them ineligible,” said Link Barger, Krystal’s father.Summers declined to comment through a school official. He learned of the violation when one of the players told him the day after the camp that they had attended.Jamie Griffin, assistant principal at TCHS, said the school self-reported the violation to the AHSAA and then appealed on the players’ behalf.“We made an appeal, and they ruled and now it’s done,” Griffin said. “It is something that is regrettable that there was a violation of Alabama high school athletic rules. It violated the outside participation rule. It was not intentional. They didn’t know that by going to an individual camp during the season that they would violate the rule.“It was a regrettable oversight on the part of the students in that they didn’t understand, didn’t have any idea that they would be violating high school rules by attending the camp.”Griffin said that the school will not be fined and that the soccer team will not have to forfeit any games in which the two players participated before attending the camp.The AHSAA does not comment on violations, a spokesman for the organization said, but officials did exchange emails with Clark and Barger and their parents.“Every time I emailed them they just say the same thing over and over: you know, rules, rules, rules,” Barger said. “But they’re not even listening to what we have to say, the story behind it.”The emails from state athletic officials echo that theme.“I am very sympathetic to your situation, but the AHSAA only governs the rules made by our member schools. We must consistently uphold the school’s bylaws without exception,” AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese wrote in an email to Jessica Clark.“Absolutely not, we follow rules as they are written.” was the email reply from Tony Stallworth, AHSAA associate executive director, to an email plea from Jessica Clark to inquire if there were any way the ruling could be reconsidered.AHSAA rules as written, however, seem vague and even contradictory.Rule III, Section 21, under the section on camps says, “Students may attend camps (for individuals) provided they do so individually at their own expense.”There is no entry under the camps section of the rules that specifies that the camps must take place out of season.Section 6 of the outside participation rule, however, states: “A student who is a member of any high school athletic team may not participate in an outside sport activity in the same sport during the school season of that sport.”The rule goes on to list exceptions, including participation in Olympic development programs and one-on-one private instruction, but it nowhere defines “outside sports activity” nor specifically mentions attending camps as a violation.The parents of the TCHS players admit that they didn’t consult the rulebook before enrolling their children in the UA camp, but still take issue with the lack of clarity in the rules.“If I had known about the rule, I would have asked for clarification of it,” said Jason Clark. “There’s an interpretation with ‘outside activity,’ so I would have asked for a clarification if I had known about it.”Said Georgina Barger, “If we had known about this rule, there’s no way we would have signed Krystal up for a camp. We would not have sacrificed her whole, entire junior season for one day at a camp.”Not playing this season could negatively impact Clark’s hopes of playing soccer in college. A coach at Alabama-Huntsville had inquired about her high school schedule to plan a recruiting trip to see her play, and Clark said she cried at school after being informed of the loss of her eligibility. She went to watch practice and broke out in tears.“I got up and left and went home,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle sitting through those games anymore.”Said Barger, “It is extremely hard to sit on the sidelines and watch your team play, knowing you can’t play and you can’t really do anything about it. And it’s not really our fault that we’re being penalized for it. ... Obviously if we can’t play anymore, then there’s nothing we can do. There’s nothing we can do besides try to get the word out more.”